Kamala Harris: Power Prosecutor

California's new attorney general talks to former White House press secretary Dana Perino about her plans to shake up politics.

Kamala Harris is shaking up California. She's a beautiful, high-energy, high-fashion legal success story. After winning a close election last November, she was sworn in as the state's first woman, first African-American, and first South Asian–American attorney general.

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I caught up with Harris in Washington, D.C., at the St. Regis hotel between her testimony on Capitol Hill about cyberbullying and her flight home to finish preparations for her new job. Over green tea, we found a lot of common ground. After just an hour, I joined her fan club. And I desperately want her wardrobe.

From her goals as attorney general to the roots that inspired her passion for advocacy, she candidly shared with me some secrets for how she keeps it all together.

DP: Congratulations on your recent victory. When did you know you wanted to be a lawyer and follow this profession?

KH: My parents met when they were graduate students at UC Berkeley in the 1960s. They were both active in the civil-rights movement. I thought that being a lawyer was one of the most wonderful, noble things one could do. Doing that work, I am a voice for the voiceless, and that's what I've always wanted to be.

DP: I remember when I was acting press secretary; I took over for [the late] Tony Snow [in 2007] when he was sick. Margaret Spellings, who was then the secretary of education, called me and asked, "How you doing?" and I said, "Not very good. I'm so nervous." And she said, "Well, put your big-girl panties on and deal with it." Has there been anything like that for you?

KH: In high school, I was slacking off and not taking studying very seriously, and I remember my mom saying, "You need to start taking things seriously." [I liked to cook] and she said, "If you want to cook, we will figure out a way to send you to Le Cordon Bleu, but don't do anything half-assed." That was her point. Don't do anything half-assed.

DP: Much has been made of your being the first woman—and first minority—elected California attorney general. What was your reaction?

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KH: I was also the first woman elected DA in San Francisco [in 2003], and reporters would ask, "What's it like to be the first woman elected DA?" I'd say, "I don't know how to answer that question. I've always been a woman, but I'm sure a man could do the job just as well."

DP: You just testified about cyberbullying in front of Congress. What would you recommend a parent do to prevent it?

KH: Adults have to be honest that they don't understand the capacity of these technologies and that they don't understand how their children are using them. And they need to learn. These days, children can text on their cell phone all night long, and no one else is seeing that phone. You don't know who is calling that child.

DP: Are there any women in politics whom you look up to now?

KH: Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi…

DP: [Pelosi] endorsed you right away.

KH: She did. Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama — who didn't run for office but could have if she wanted to. Each of them is very smart but equally compassionate, and also each has a real way of encouraging other women and girls to advance and succeed.

DP: Many people call you the female version of President Obama, who fundraised for you. What is your reaction to that?

KH: I'm extremely humbled. I have a great deal of respect for the president.

DP: So, any chance of running for higher political office in the future, or is this it?

KH: I'm going to take this and focus on it. Hopefully the tasks at hand will be accomplished well, and then we'll see what comes next. But I am very focused on what's right in front of me — and there's a lot that's right in front of me. I really want to do this job. I am in this.

DP: There's a lot of talk that Hillary Clinton should run for president in 2016, even though it seems that she's personally counted herself out. Do you think she would win if she ran?

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KH: I think Hillary Clinton could do whatever she puts her mind to. I really do. She's incredibly dedicated to public service, she is smart as a whip, and she's effective.

HB: Everyone wants to know the answer to this: How do you balance?

KH: I have to make a conscious effort, that's for sure. The demands of life — and this applies to any of us — are so intense that you can find yourself constantly reacting to what needs to be done. It's a struggle to consciously work on relationships and on time for yourself. And women have to do that in a way that doesn't make them feel guilty but instead helps them realize that it actually makes you more effective with everything else you do. But I'm saying this as though I've figured it out, and I'm one of the last people to have figured it out.

DP: Are you able to disassociate your work life from your personal life, or do you feel like you take your career everywhere you go?

KH: It's so much a part of me. I think about my job all the time, not in a way that is burdensome but in a way that asks, "How can I do good?" I'm also blessed to do work that I really enjoy doing. But honestly, the time that I most covet is time with my family. People who work for me know that family comes first. And I'm fortunate to have a family that is very supportive of the work I do, so I don't have to live two separate lives.

DP: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

KH: I love to cook. I love to go to farmers' markets and pick out whatever is seasonal. I love reading cookbooks, and I love feeding people. And thank God my family likes to eat!

DP: If you had a day all to yourself when you didn't have to do anything, what would that be like?

KH: On a perfect day, I get to take a really great walk in the morning, pick up The New York Times, and actually read every section. On a recent Sunday, I had brunch with my best friend. I cooked a fabulous Mediterranean dish that took hours to make, and I also saw a movie, Barney's Version. It was a perfect day.

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DP: What are your favorite types of movies?

KH: One of my favorite movies of all time is My Cousin Vinny.

HB: Now the important question: Did you always have a sense of fashion?

KH: I grew up surrounded by people who took their appearance very seriously. It was a sign of self-respect. And I didn't grow up in a financially rich community. Ladies dressed up for church on Sunday—the hats, the colors. There was not a hair out of place.

HB: Do you have a favorite designer?

KH: Donald Deal designed my suit for the inauguration. He is a really great American designer. He made me a charcoal-gray pinstripe suit that sounds very traditional and conservative, but it had ruching that was just fabulous. I also wore one of his designs when I was inaugurated as DA. I kind of have a tradition of doing that.

DP: Can you wear it again? Or is it like a wedding dress, which you can't wear twice?

KH: Oh no, I'll wear it again.

DP: If you were invited to a state dinner, do you have any idea what you might wear?

KH: I did attend Obama's first state dinner, and I don't remember what I wore!

HB: Do you have a favorite bag?

KH: I do. It's the Chanel Executive bag. It has a compartment where I keep my files.

HB: What is the most important thing in it?

KH: These [pulls out three different chargers]. You are the only reporter who has gotten this out of me!

DH: What was the last piece of clothing or piece of jewelry that you bought?

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